This Next Billion-Dollar Startup Wants To Save American Manufacturing

Hadrian founder and CEO Chris Power has raised $180 million to manufacture metal parts at warp speeds at his California factory. Now he wants to build dozens more across the country to make more parts better, faster and cheaper. Power’s vision is somewhat different from other startups building tech to make other companies’ warehouses more efficient: He’s developed proprietary software to run Hadrian’s own factory, which allows it to churn out all types of precision metal parts for aerospace, space and defense companies faster, more efficiently and with fewer people. Now he wants to build out a network of cookie-cutter, high-tech machine shops across the country to shake up a giant and fragmented industry. That’s a difficult and capital-intensive project, but one that Power argues is crucial for America’s industrial base. Investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund and Lux Capital, have bet $180 million on it, and the company is now worth roughly $500 million. Read the full story on Forbes: Subscribe to FORBES: Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more: Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: Forbes on Facebook: Forbes Video on Twitter: Forbes Video on Instagram: More From Forbes: Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.